1999-12-01 04:00:00 PDT Seattle -- Chaos ruled the streets of downtown Seattle yesterday, as confrontations between riot police and thousands of dancing, shouting protesters forced the World Trade Organization to cancel the opening session of a three-day summit meeting.

Police fired volleys of tear gas and rubber bullets in unsuccessful attempts to clear the streets of crowds that kept diplomats such as Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan and WTO Director-General Mike Moore trapped in their hotels.

After the morning ceremony was canceled, enough diplomats were able to sneak through the barriers set up by protesters and police to enter the Washington State Convention Center for the scheduled afternoon plenary session.

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It was one of the largest acts of mass civil disobedience in U.S. history, a mix of carnival, peaceful rally and riot.

"We have witnessed a very sad day," Moore said late in the day. However, he said that despite the rocky start, the 135 assembled nations would succeed in starting a new round of multinational trade negotiations to lower tariffs and other barriers on agriculture products, manufactured goods, and service industries such as banking and insurance.

"This conference will be a success," Moore said. "The issues are too important to be ignored."

Seattle Mayor Paul Schell declared a state of emergency last night, ordering a curfew from 7 p.m. to 7:30 a.m. Washington Gov. Gary Locke called in up to 200 unarmed members of the National Guard to assist city and state police.

Schell's move appeared an act of desperation after police failed to forcibly remove protesters who had chained themselves together and formed human barriers on the pavement. Several protesters were injured by rubber bullets and tear gas fired by police, sometimes at point-blank range.

At least 22 protesters were arrested -- fewer than had been expected, a result of authorities' apparent decision to displace protesters without arresting them.

Although a few demonstrators managed to hurl the police tear- gas canisters back across the barricades, and a few unoccupied police cars were vandalized, there was no violence against police.

However, small groups of young renegades took advantage of the pandemonium to smash store windows and loot. They were still roaming through downtown late last night, playing a cat-and mouse game with police.

About 10,000 mostly youthful protesters at the convention center were joined by a march of AFL-CIO members and supporters that swelled to about 50,000 people.

"We're going to change WTO or we're going to get rid of WTO," Teamsters President James Hoffa Jr. told the union members at a rally before they reached downtown.

The protests underscored the growing controversy around the WTO. Backers say the world body is essential for facilitating trade and investment across the globe. But opponents say it favors corporations and undermines national laws that protect the environment, endangered species and consumers. Union leaders also said the WTO's push for free trade encourages American companies to move operations overseas, where workers are paid far less and have few rights.

The wide variety of complaints about the WTO was evident from the kaleidoscope of humanity in the streets.

Costumes, music and elaborate puppets were the order of the day. There were sea turtles, dancing South Korean fishermen, a group called the Radical Cheerleaders and even a troupe of Santas.

Most of the demonstrators were peaceful, espousing nonviolence. But their message of protest against the WTO's policies was marred by the small number of masked anarchists wearing black who engaged in sporadic acts of vandalism.

The violence wasn't appreciated by most, and produced some unusual, spontaneous forms of law and order. For example, as the crowds were reaching critical mass in midafternoon, several young toughs broke into a Starbucks coffee bar (which, like nearly all downtown stores, had closed for the day). They opened the front door triumphantly, expecting the masses outside to enter and loot the place.

But the spectators reacted indignantly. "Close the door!" several shouted. "No violence!" The vandals were shoved aside. For the rest of the day, protesters stood guard outside the smashed windows, protecting the premises.

However, after the curfew drove most people from the area, the vandals returned and looted the premises.

The main organizers of the day's events condemned the destruction, and called on supporters to return this morning to sweep up the debris and scrub away the graffiti.

"The vandalism doesn't represent in any way the tens of thousands of people who peaceably protested against the WTO," said Medea Benjamin, co-director of Global Exchange, a San Francisco-based group.

Some officials from other countries expressed outrage that protesters had been allowed to delay the start of the summit.

Mohammed Asfour, the Jordanian minister of industry and trade, said he had not been able to get to the convention center because the odor of gas used by the police was wafting over the official entrance designated for his use.

"People like us who came from thousands of miles and to find no organization -- it's very sad," Asfour said.

Developing countries are strongly opposed to demands that the WTO take into account labor and environmental standards in its trade negotiations. They see this as a veiled effort at protectionism by rich nations seeking to take away the competitive advantages of lower wage scales and more lax environmental regulations.

Pascal Lamy, Europe's chief trade commissioner, said yesterday's street protests show that the talks are in trouble.

"I think what's happening outside has an influence on the negotiations," Lamy said. The U.S. position "is even less possible after the demonstrations than before" because the public has social concerns that need to be addressed, he said.